


For Years

by genjibums



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Blood, M/M, Mentions of Blood, Mutual Pining, Omnic Crisis, Reaper76 - Freeform, Slow Burn, Violence, confessing, gabe gets hurt, gabriel speaks spanish, gun - Freeform, i still have no idea what im doing with additional tags, its the omnic crisis so, jack is a love sick farm boy, jack saves him, like holy shit, r76, years of slow burn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-20
Updated: 2018-07-20
Packaged: 2019-06-13 06:12:32
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,048
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15358014
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/genjibums/pseuds/genjibums
Summary: This is a gift for my girlfriend for our 13 months back in May of 2018! I hope you enjoy it!!





	For Years

**Author's Note:**

> This is a gift for my girlfriend for our 13 months back in May of 2018! I hope you enjoy it!!

The blond stared at the dark-skinned man from across the meeting table, he watched him laugh and smile, do all the things that made him blush and swirl on the inside. He took a deep breath, now would be the time, now would be the time he would say it. He didn’t care about the people in the room, he didn’t care about them overhearing, the number of things they had done in front of these people in the past decade was border-line couple acts, so they shouldn’t care if Jack confessed here! He shot himself, b-lining straight to his superior. 

“Gabriel.” A strong voice, making the man he was address tense up before relaxing at the sight of who was needing him.   
“Lieutenant Morrison.” He said playfully, right, Private 76 had turned into Lieutenant 76 in the last three months.  
“Gabe, I need-,” he was cut off by a call of-  
“Senior Officer 24, we need you in the communication center, your team needs to speak to you on field.”   
Gabriel nodded before smiling at Jack. “I have to go, Jack, later okay?”   
Before Jack got the chance to reply, he was already watching the back of his thighs leave the room.  
“Staring.” Ana teased, Jack turning red and huffing. 

 

This was going to be harder than Jack was expecting, much harder.

 

Being lieutenant wasn’t exactly to Morrison’s liking; he was fine with bossing people around, but it made things complicated when it came to confessing to Gabriel. Over the years, Jack became more and more anxious about it all; the time, the place, the words, the moment, everything. Jack had issues of wondering if his feels were returned, other times he had the confidence of a bull. Little did Jack know Gabriel already went through this about him half a decade ago, he worried about feelings not being returned and kept them to himself and planned to keep them there; he was happy as Jack’s friend, happy to be there for him, he didn’t care for the title… he secretly yearned for it. The years passed quickly, failure after failure of confessing, never saying it or getting interrupted or the moment was ruined or anything that was unbelievably possible. The three had left for a new destination, Overwatch, and still Jack had not said the three words; I like you. Hell! He has said them before and Gabriel chuckled and smiled and had returned them in a friendly manner. Even more, they had met each other’s family multiple times! Jack’s ma had a special liking to Gabriel, asking Jack when she should expect wedding invitations. Gabe had falling in love with her cookies. Gabriel’s mom and papa were nothing but accepting, and their German Shepard was extremely friendly. Jack fell in love with the left overs of Gabriel’s room and the band posters. 

The next time Jack attempted, the Omnic Crisis begun. Hell, with no surprise, he attempted to confess on the battlefield about three times; all interrupted no doubt.   
The time he believed he succeeded was the last fight, they had won. 

Gabriel had gotten shot multiple times in his torso, gasping and clinging to his partner as he killed off the last omnics; Jack was luckily to be his partner, had always been in these passed decades, he was honored to. Jack was sobbing when he realized it, holding onto Gabriel as he requested emergency evacuation. 76 didn’t bother to check if any of the bullets didn’t go clean through. 

“Gabe, Gabe, Gabe, Gabe, Gabe Gabe-Gabe-Gabe.” He gripped to his completing 24 desperately, crying. Gabriel was crying to, clinging onto his 76 in return. “Jack… Jack… Jackie.” Weak, gravelly, and desperate.   
“You’re okay, you’re going to be okay, evac- I called evac.”   
“Good… good.” He found the strength to smile that sweet smile to him, making Jack’s heart jump at the wrong time.   
“Are you okay?? Are you going to be okay?” Morrison’s head was rushing, so was his mouth it appeared.

Gabriel mustered a chuckle, coughing up a bit of blood; body cursing its owner for laughing at a time like this. “Ya just said I would be okay,” A heave for air. “But it’s okay as I will be with four bullets in me.”

“Gabriel.” He almost lectured for throwing sarcasm at a time like this but held it back, instead he just watched and stared at the man he had grown to love for the past decade. He watched the man slip a bit. “Gabe!! Gabe!!! No!!!” He cried, making the darker man jolt and open his hazel eyes again. “Please. Please, please, please. Don’t… Don’t slip, please.” He sobs, Jack cupping his bloody face with his glove-covered hands, blue meeting and locking with brown.   
“I won’t… I won’t. I have you to live for. I would never even think of leaving you” Gabriel whispered weakly, but it was clear he was using all his strength to get his words to Jack.

Jack’s heart jumped again, terrible at a time like this. He didn’t think, he just nodding. “And I have you to live for, my fighting strength.” He sobbed. “I don’t want you to leave me, Gabe, you mean so much to me, you are my world.” He confessed, Gabriel giving a weak but warm smile. 

Gabriel’s hand slowly moved to touch Jack’s cheek, leaving blood to clash to the pale skin; not as beautiful as red mixed with Gabriel. “Mi cariño.” Jack had always heard Spanish from Gabriel, all used to tease and play with him because he never understood it. But, he never said it this warm and, well, the warmth of the words was not as warm as the lips that captured his own and left a lipstick-looking print of blood to his pink lips after the man in his arms fainted from blood loss.

Morrison didn’t let go of Gabriel’s hand on the ride back, saying nothing as he just watched Reyes’s eyes move under his eyelids in a panic, like he was in a coma-like state. Panic and anxiety rushed all over him, especially when Gabriel was taken away from him to be operated. All he could think about was that kiss and Gabriel’s safety. No one was in control of him, no one could stop him or tell him no, so he stayed in Reyes’s hospital room as he recovered. They didn’t talk about the kiss, but Jack constantly thought about it, especially since he would stare at Gabriel’s split lip and watch him dart his tongue out to lick it when he talked. 

 

They didn’t talk about it. For almost two months. Nothing changed, or so it seemed.  
Gabriel was still recovering when he was allowed a four day leave back to Las Angeles, Jack tagging along happily; simply because they were friends, but he also saw this as a time to talk. 

They had done the usual, gone to some fancy expensive dinner in regards of them being heroes, celebrating the past fighting and victories; all the same. Gabriel made a toast to them, not to the stories, but to them, to Jack and him; it made Jack’s heart flutter. He smiled and toasted to Gabriel in return. The drive back home to the beach house was long but Gabriel still made a stop in the park, he always did. He drove to a cliff edge, parking at a safe distance, before being all laughs and smiles as he got out of his red Porsche sports car and moved to sit on the hood of it. Jack joined him. 

They chatted happily, Gabriel’s arm around Jack, in which he cuddled into it with a hand resting on his chest; physical affection was good for mental health, Gabriel always excused. Finally, the topic came to the last fight.

“Thanks for having my ass back there, Jackie. You kept me awake.” 

Jack smiled, relaxing and humming. “No problem, man, I’m always going to have your back.”  
“I know, and you know I will always have yours, even if it looks like a box.” A chuckle, Gabriel earning himself a shove. He laughed. “Okay! Okay!!” 

Jack looked away, frowning, the crave growing. 

“Hey, Jackie... what’s wrong?” 

Silence.

“Jack.” Gabriel sat up, worriedly frowning at his best friend.  
Jack looked at him worriedly.

“Hey, I’m okay, Jack. Jack, I’m safe, I’m healing.” A smile, Gabriel moving to cup his face, but Jack got off the hood of the sports car, moving over to the edge of the cliff. 

“Jack…” Gabriel worriedly followed but before he could join him, the blond turned around.   
“What did you mean?” A desperate and confused tone and look.   
Gabriel looked confused. “What are you-.” 

“You said you have me to live for!! You kissed me, for fucks sake, Gabe! I’m done dancing around this! I’ve been trying so hard to tell you this for the past four years and you haven’t even noticed!”

Gabriel stayed silent, standing and looking surprised.

“You’re my best friend, Gabe, you have been ever since SEP. You’ve helped me get through so much shit that no one else has understood, and even if I don’t understand most of it, I’ve helped you get through so much shit too. You’ve had my back every damn time they injected us with god-knows-what back in the SEP and whenever I got myself hurt, you stayed in my room, I know you did and I did my best to try and return the favor. You had my back every damn moment and I had yours! If we’re facing the omnic apocalypse again then, dammit Gabe, I want to be facing it while holding your hand.” A deep breath, Jack looking so desperate to get this out, rambling. “I love you, Gabe. You’re my best friend and I love you. Like, actually love you. Not that friend shit.” He finished, surprised that he finished. He rubbed the back of his neck, looking away. “And now I’m going to try not to say some sarcastic or rude bullshit that would have you take this all as a damn fucking joke.” A sharp breath.

Gabriel just stood there, looking surprised at his completing. He had loved Jack the moment they shared a room back in the SEP but after all those years, he just assumed all of Jack’s affection was friendly. After all, the man had issues with sexual orientation at first, so Gabriel just assumed he was struggling to show affection to a known gay guy. He put his feelings aside these last few years, he was happy with Jack as his best friend and it seemed it was the same for Jack.

It appeared Jack didn’t understand the silence, seeing it as a rejection.

“Fuck… Gabe… I… please, say something, Gabriel…” A desperate tone, tears forming. “Fuck… fuck. I know I was a lot to handle with the first few years, I know the shit I said was, well, shitty, but fuck, Gabriel… Fuck…” He begun to move pass Gabriel, tears forming. “I…. I’ll find a way back to the airport.” He begun to walk away, repeatedly murmuring the word “fuck” under his breath as Gabriel turned. 

“Hey.” He grabbed him by the shoulder gently in a soft voice, Jack looking at him with wide eyes and tears threatening to spill from them. “We’re talking about more than a decade of romantic and sexual tension and repressed feelings, give me time to fucking process it.” A smile from Gabe.

Jack breathed in sharply as he was gently tugged to a hug. He curled to it, smiling and hugging Gabriel tightly as Gabriel held him just as tight. 

They stayed like that for a long time, just holding each other close and letting the other’s presence calm them. 

After who-knows-how-long, Jack smiled at Gabriel. He stood up straight but stayed in the hug. “So, about that kiss?” A nervous grin, earning himself that beautiful chuckle from Gabriel.  
“Which one?” Gabriel playfully said.  
“You’ve only kissed-” A pause, caught off by a sweet and loving kiss, one that Jack melted to nicely. 

The kiss was broken once their lungs begged for air, what Jack heard next made him the happiest man in the world.

“I love you too, Jackie, I have for years.”


End file.
